Foraging—May Urban Farm Challenge
May’s Urban Farm Handbook Challenge topic has been, I must admit, the most intimidating of all of the challenges for me. I’m not a forager or hunter at heart, though I do know a (perhaps very) few things about edible plants.
My dad started showing me what is edible and what isn’t edible on walks in the woods when I was quite small. I learned about salmonberries and wild blackberries; that thimbleberry leaves are about the softest bits of green you can find (dubbed nature’s toilet paper by my father), and even went with him on a mushroom foraging exhibition once.
The truth is, unless I’m looking for berries that I am positive I can identify, foraging is intimidating and even a bit scary. I worry that I will confuse poison for sweet and succulent. And I don’t enjoy mushrooms. If you’re interested in mushrooms, check out Craig Goodwin’s post from 2010 on finding mushrooms in our area.
Foraging in May is a bit tricky around these parts if you’re not interested in mushrooms. Later this summer, I hope to go foraging for huckleberries (for a tiny batch of jam or jelly, I hope). I’ll update again when I find a good spot for berry picking later this summer.
The part of the May challenge I easily accomplished was the first (read: simplest) challenge: getting to know dandelions up close and personally. This challenge did not take me far from home, really: I have several in my yard. The green leaves are an edible bitter green that goes well in a simple salad. To me they taste fresh, green (if that makes sense) and a little bitter.
If you’re eating dandelion greens, do pick them while they’re young as they become really bitter when they mature (much like spinach and late lettuce). They do add a nice bite to a simply flavored salad.
Dandelion roots also have value as a foraging find. They can be boiled into a natural brown dye, or made into tea.
I do love that a simple garden weed, one that most of us loathe and maybe even occasionally curse for invading our gardens and lawns, is an edible green that is packed with nutrients. Before mowing them down, pick a handful of leaves and add them into your salad, or quickly wilt young leaves in olive oil, garlic and lemon juice for a simple side dish. Dandelions aren’t so bad after all, and eating them seems like the ultimate revenge as they multiply in the garden.
